12th Precinct
by Starfleetbrat
Summary: My collection of Castle Drabbles and short fics.
1. Truth  3x06  3XK

**Truth**  
>Spoilers: 3x06 3XK<p>

_This is the f__irst new thing I have written in quite a long time, and is also my first Castle fic. Written for the Castleland "Before and After" challenge._

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><p>Richard Castle had always prided himself on being truthful with Alexis about the cases he took part in, but this time it was different. Usually, the cases were resolved successfully and he was able to assure his daughter that justice had been served. He felt that he had somehow helped to make her world a little safer, even though he didn't kid himself that he did all that much to help. It was his friends at the 12th precinct that did all the hard yards. Detective Beckett and her team.<p>

This time however, the killer was still out there. The Triple Killer, or 3XK as he was known, would kill again. 3XK wasn't someone that killed once in the heat of the moment in jealousy or rage. He was a serial killer who planned meticulously. One that changed his M.O. He was also someone who took his time. In the case of Linda Russo he had waited four years. As Beckett had said, that took a special kind of ruthlessness. Castle was worried that if he told Alexis about this, she would be looking over her shoulder for years. Heck, he might be doing that himself.

After all, it was one thing to assume that there were bad people out there in the world somewhere, but to specifically know someone was out there, someone that had a connection to him in some way. He couldn't tell her that. So when he got home that night and Alexis had asked if they had solved the case... for the first time Richard Castle lied.


	2. Silence

**Silence**

written for a castleland challenge - Johanna's POV

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><p>The alley was mostly dark, lit only by the light that reflected in from the busy street ahead. Johanna Beckett could see shadows of activity and hear the traffic as it echoed off the walls. Footsteps could be heard fading away in the distance.<p>

There was a rustle of newspaper as a loose sheet of it swept past her and wrapped itself around her shoe briefly before continuing on its journey. The lid of a garbage can clattered to the ground somewhere nearby as rats or feral animals or some other kind of nocturnal creature searched for food.

There was shouting. A domestic dispute between a man and woman in one of the apartments somewhere above her to her right. They were arguing over the television.

Slowly the sounds of the city faded and the light around her grew dimmer and dimmer as her eyes drifted closed.

She felt her heart slowing, the beat growing quieter as it pulsed against her ear drums, and she heard the sound of her hand falling to her side, the soft thwack as it made contact with the blood on the ground that was seeping out from inside her.

She heard her breath hitch, then heard herself exhale.

And then there was only silence.


	3. Christmas Story

**A Christmas Story**  
>CastleBeckett

_For a writerverse Meta challenge. (Write about a character who is writing.)_

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><p>Kate Beckett typed the last few sentences into her word processor and then hit the save button. It wasn't the greatest story every written. She wasn't sure it was even very good. But as she read back over her work and made a change here and there, she decided that it would do.<p>

She had thought long and hard over what to get Castle for christmas. She didn't have the income he did, and she wanted to get him something that showed she had put thought and care into it, something to make him smile.

Well, she thought. If nothing else the story would give him a laugh at how terrible it was.

She printed the story out and bound it together with some coloured string. She debated writing a message in the front, a dedication of sorts. Should she or not? Biting her lip she quickly scrawled a short message across the title page and then placed it carefully in the box. Wrapping it in red christmas paper and sticking a label with his name on the front to finish the gift off, she placed it in her bag, ready to take to the precinct in the morning, where they would be doing their gift exchange.


	4. Inspiration

**Inspiration**  
>LanieEsposito, Castle/Beckett implied.

_For a writerverse Meta challenge. (Write about a character who is writing.)_

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><p>Javier Esposito sat as his desk in his apartment staring at the blank word document. He was a little frustrated. Castle made writing look so easy. He swanned in to work with them, pulled out a notebook scribbled a few things down and then voila, several pages of Nikki Heat.<p>

Esposito couldn't even think of how to start. He was a homicide detective. He already knew how a detective would think and act. But getting it out on paper was a lot harder than he expected.

Sighing, he looked up and stared at the photograph of Lanie he had sitting next to his computer. It was a special photo she had taken just for his eyes only at one of those glamour photography stores. That woman, he thought. She was amazing. Sexy. Brilliant at her job.

Suddenly, Esposito had an idea, and he started to type. If Castle could write a story about Beckett, then Esposito could write one about Lanie. And if he had to go hang out with her at work sometimes, then that was a sacrifice he would just have to make.


End file.
